Book Description:
They’ve secretly loved each other for years. He’s hung up on their age gap. She can’t get him to see her as the woman she’s become. Will they let go of their fear to find true love?
When former pro bull rider, Adan Franco, discovers he’s been named the guardian of a twelve-year-old boy, his world turns upside down. He must head to New Mexico to settle the estate. As he fumbles through his new status as a single dad, he leans on the woman he’s secretly loved for years.
Solana Vargas is desperate for Adan to see her as something other than his best friend’s kid cousin. At twenty-five, she’s matured into a devoted friend and loyal member of the Vargas clan. If only Adan could come to see her as wife material, all her dreams could come true.
Will helping him settle into life as a single dad finally force him to see her in a new light? Will they ever take a chance on love together?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Falling for a Devoted Cowgirl, the sixth book in Karen Baney’s Vargas Ranch series set in Arizona. Solana Vargas works on the family ranch with her sister providing guest services at the resort’s front desk. Her teenage crush on Adan has developed over the years into unrequited love. Solana is twenty-five and frustrated that Adan has put her in the friend zone.
A decade ago, Adan retired from his successful world champion pro bull riding career, moved to the Vargas Ranch and works with the horses at the resort. His best friend is Solana’s cousin and Adan has formed a close friendship with Solana. He’s thirty-five, a decade older than Solana. Adan’s convinced that he’s too old for Solana and thinks she should marry a younger man.
The story opens with Adan discovering that an old friend from his rodeo days has recently passed away. She was a barrel rider and named Adan as the father of her twelve year old son, Jet, on the birth certificate. Adan’s shocked that she passed so young from cancer, and he questions if he’s Jet’s biological father.
Adan is an honourable man who lives his faith, and he takes on the responsibility of being Jet’s father. Solana volunteers to travel with Adan and Jet to New Mexico to help Adan make the arrangements to move Jet to Arizona.
I loved how the plot twist on the secret baby trope played out in Adan and Solana’s beautiful romance story. Jet’s arrival in Adan’s life is the catalyst that brings Solana and Adan together. Jet is grieving the loss of his beloved mother and he questions why Adan hasn’t been involved in his life.
Solana supports Adan and Jet. She prays Adan will reciprocate her feelings and see her as more than his friend. I recommend Falling for a Devoted Cowgirl to contemporary romance readers who like cowboy friends-to-more romances with unrequited love, a secret baby plot twist, and strong faith elements in the story.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced reader copy.
